Annular radiator

ABSTRACT

An annular radiator having cooling ribs disposed in axial planes between coolant carrying elements which are constructed and arranged in the manner of a diffuser.

Frank et al.

ANNULAR RADIATOR Inventors: Willi Frank, Egerlander Str. 11, 714' Ludwigsburg; Gustav Engler, Schillerstrasse, Neckargroningen, both of Germany Filed:

1 51 Oct. 17,1972

[56] References Cited 2 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,318,393 5/1943 Honerkamp etal ..l65/l25 3,055,641

7 9/1962 Miller ..'l65/125 Jan. 27,1969 Primary Examiner-Charles Sukalo App] No 794 082 Y Attorney-Robert H. Jacob 1 r a 57 ABSTRACT 'i 3; An annular radiator having cooling ribe disposed in I d 125 t axial planes between coolant carrying elements which le 0 can are constructed and arranged in the manner of a diffuser.

I I 4 Clainis', 4 Dratving Figures PAIENTEMBI 11 I972 sum 1 0F 3 Inventor wnw (war/e I PATENTEDHCT 1? 1912 SHEET 3 BF 3 Fig. 4

In ventors: [W1 4/ f/PA/VK AND 05774 V [4 4 Aw ANNULAR RADIATOR The invention relates to, annular radiators, particularly for the coolant circuit in internal combustion engines. v v

For the purpose of recooling the coolant for internal combustion engines, a large number of types of radiators are already known, for example core radiators, partitioned radiators, annular radiators, and so on. In all these radiators heat exchange takes place between the flowing coolant and the cooling air blown through theradiator by means of a fan. The greater the amount of heat to be removed, the greater will be the demands on the cooling capacity of the radiator and the larger the cooling surfaces must be. This gives rise to considerable difficulty in connection with the accommodation of the coolingsystem of an internal combustion engine when space is restricted, for example, in locomotives, in heavy trucks or the like.

The problem underlying the invention is to provide a cooling system which provides the highest possible cooling capacity while requiring minimum space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention this problem is essentially solved in that the cooling ribs in an annular radiator of the previously mentioned type are constructed and disposed in the manner of a diffuser.

In the annular cooler according to the invention the cooling air flows radially, while the coolant flows circu larly through the radiator. The temperature of the air introduced is lower near the center than at the periphery. Consequently, the density of the air is greater on the inside than on the outside and thus the air speed at the outlet is higher than at the center, since the air volume increases due to the expansion of the air. Due to the arrangement of the cooling ribs according to the invention, which provides a diffuser action, approximately the same air speeds are achieved on the inside and on the outside,'while the pressure loss is partly cancelled by the conversion of speed into pressure in the diffuser-like rib channels. In this manner the effect is achieved that a larger amount of air is passed through the radiator without the fan having to produce a higher pressure, as would otherwise be necessary if the air guide passages were disposed parallel.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the cooling ribs are subdivided in the radial direction and formed into groups. This results in that with an annular cooler of relatively large diameter, in which on the outside the rib spacing would be very great and the room available for heat transfer would be less effectively utilized, the mean rib spacing is reduced. By subdividing in the radial direction the advantage from the point of view of manufacture is also obtained that the rib arrangement can be produced in identical form and then disposed in each case radially and peripherally side by side or in succession, one following the other.

While an annular radiator is already known for aircraft or for oil coolers, however, in this known form of construction the air does not flow through radially but axially. As compared to this the annular radiator according to the invention permits considerably greater and quicker transfer of heat between the cooling air and the coolant.

According toanother feature of the invention it is particularly convenient to provide continuous gaps between the individual groups of cooling ribs. In this way the air flowing in the individual passages is mixed together and redistributed. It is particularly convenient for the gaps between the individual rib arrangements to be disposed in the region of spacers of individual partition or separating elements.

The annular radiator according; to the invention consists essentially of separating cooling elements of circular annular shape, which are disposed in the axial direction alternately with cooling rib groups.

Manufacture and assembly are further facilitated if v in accordance with a further development of the invention the annular radiator is composed of four quadrantal radiator blocks, which afterassembly are welded together or connected together by receiving containers. 3 I

According to another feature of the invention the water outlet and the water inlet aredisposed in a radial plane and preferably in the same horizontal plane. In the receiving water vessel, which is connected to the outlet and inlet, a partition is conveniently provided. One or more distributor tubes have their mouths at the inlet side and lead to adiametrically disposed receiving vessel, into which the passages or channels of the separated cooling elements lead.

The arrangement may also. be such that the distributor pipes are open at the junction points of the quadrantal radiator blocks and lead into a kind of water tank. This results in better distribution of the warm water.

The use of two or more distributor pipes, depending on the structural conditions in each particular case,

leads to the division of the water into partial currents, so that the resistance on thewater side is reduced. On the other hand, where there is a definite limit of the resistance on the water side a larger amount of circulating water can be passed through, which has a favorable effect on the effective mean temperature.

The blower required is in the form of a radial blower and disposed concentrically in the center of the annular radiator. I

A ring diffuseris provided to guide theair from the radial blower to the partitioned cooling elements. According to another feature of the invention, additional guide air plates are provided, which adapt the ring diffuser as a multiple diffuser. For this the air guide plates are divided into two groups, in such a manner that the ratio of inlet area to outlet area for the two groups is the same.

According to a further development of the invention, a conical cover plate is provided over the diffuser. The lower side of the diffuser may be similarly covered.

The distributor pipes are suitably disposed in the wall region of the coverplate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further advantages and features of the invention will be explained more fully with reference to the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment diagrammatically and in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation,

FIG. 2 a plan view,

FIG. 3 a section along the line A-B in FIG. 1 or along the line C-D in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 a partial section through a modified embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The annular radiator 1 consists of partitioned cooling elements 2 arranged one above another and of groups of cooling ribs 3 disposed between said elements in each case. For the purpose of fastening, an annular flange 4 and also an upper cover plate 5 and a lower cover plate 6 are provided.

As indicated in FIG. 2, the annular radiator l is advantageously composed of four quadrant blocks 7.

The connections can be made along weld seams 8, 9 and by means of collecting vessels l0 and 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the water inlet 12 and the water outlet 13 communicate with the collecting vessel 10. A wall 14 separating the two inlet and outlet connections or sockets is disposed in the collecting vessel 10. Distributor pipes 16 and 17 lead into the collecting vessel compartment 15 associated with the water inlet 12. The distributor pipes 16 and 17 are conveniently of semi-circular form and their other ends lead into the collecting vessel 11. The circular annular passages 19 in the separating cooling element 2 lead into the collecting vessel 11 on the one hand and into the collecting vessel compartment 18 of the collecting vessel 10. The water to be cooled is thus introduced at 12, guided with the aid of the distributor pipes 16, 17 to the diametrically opposite side of the annular radiator, and then flowsalong semi-circular paths inside the passages 19 of the separated cooling elements 2 back to the collecting vessel 10 having the water outlet 13. The arrangement of the diffuser for guiding the air from the centrally disposed blower to the cooling elements and cooling ribs is shown in FIG. 3. Additional air guide plates 22, 23 and 24 are disposed between an upper cover plate and a bottom cover plate 21. These air guide plates are divided by the plate 23 into two groups, while the arrangement and construction is so selected that the inlet and outlet areas bounded by the air guide plates 22 have the same ratio as the inlet and outlet areas bounded by the air guide plates 24. The diffuser 25 is thus adapted as a multiple diffuser.

In FIG. 2 it is indicated that the circular annular passages 19 in the separating cooling elements 2 of the individual quadrant blocks may also lead into an intermediate water tank 26 and 27 respectively in the region of theweld seams 9 and 8 respectively. This provides better distribution of the warm water, whereby in addition the cooling capacity is again increased.

From FIG. 4 it can be seen that the cooling ribs are constructed in the radial direction to form cooling ribs groups 28, 29, 30 of identical shape and dimensions. Gaps 31 and 32 passing through vertically may be provided between the cooling rib groups, so that the air flowing in individual passages can be mixed and redistributed. By the division of the cooling ribs into cooling rib groups, the fanning-out which is necessary in any case, results in a shorter distance between the individual wave crests and troughs at the outer edges in each case, than would be necessary with continuous construction over the entire radial length. The mean rib spacing is thus reduced and the transfer of heat is again increased accordingly.

By means of the division of the annular radiator according to the invention into four quadrant blocks 7 and the central arrangement of the fan, maintenance and any repairs required are substantially simplified. The cooling installation can, for example, easily be removed while the fan and its drive can be left in position. The time and labor required for installing or dismantling are thereby considerably reduced. Moreover, in the event of the fan requiring repair, it can be removed separately while the annular radiator can remain in position.

On one of the receiving vessels a vent opening 33 known per se is advantageously provided.

With the aid of, for example, two annular radiators constructed in accordance with the invention and having a diameter of about 1 meter, the amount of heat produced in the operation of an internal combustion engine having an output of 1,600 HP can be removed without difficulty.

Due to the diffuser-like construction and arrangement of the cooling ribs in accordance with the invention, FIG. 4, a very large amount of air is passed through, given suitable design of the fan, while the fan has to produce a substantially lower pressure than would otherwise be necessary for passing the same amount of air through parallel passages in known radiators.

In the top part of FIG. 4 the upper cover plate 5 is partly removed, so that the uppermost row of ribs on the air side can be seen. The figure makes it possible to see in particular the radial subdivision of the cooling ribs into three cooling rib groups 28, 29, and 30. The diffuser-like path of the rib passages is obtained in that the inner end of the ribs lies on a smaller periphery than the outer end situated in the direction of flow, thus providing a different rib spacing at the two rib ends, and necessarily forming a diffuser-like passage, thus providing an increasing cross-section in the direction of air flow.

The right-hand part of FIG. 4 shows a radial crosssection through the left-hand part of FIG. 4.

The invention is not restricted to the examples of embodiment illustrated and described. For example, the number and arrangement of the distributor pipes 16 and 17 may be made different. As illustrated in FIG. 3, they are however advantageously disposed inside the region of the conical cover plate 20, for reasons of space. It is also entirely possible for the water inlet and water outlet to be disposed at diametrically opposite points or else at any other points on the cross-sectional area of the annular radiator.

The annular radiator is fastened on a support by bolts 34, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 or 2.

Another advantage of the annular radiator according to the invention consists in that fan noises are considerably damped by the corresponding guidance of the air and that the cooling system as a whole is substantially lighter than radiators of conventional construction for a corresponding cooling power.

Having now described our invention with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, what we desire to protect by letters patent of the United States is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An annular radiator, particularly for the coolant circuit in internal combustion engines, comprising coolant carrying elements defining circular annular flow passages, cooling ribs constructed and disposed in the manner of a diffuser, said cooling ribs being radially arranged in axial planes between adjacent said coolant carrying elements and being subdivided in .the radial direction into groups, said coolant carrying elements being partitioned and disposed to alternate in the axial direction with said cooling rib groups, centrally disposed air intake means in communication with said cooling rib groups, whereby the air enters centrally and leaves the radiator radially, continuous axially extending gaps being provided between individual said cooling rib groups, and said gaps being disposed in the region of spacers of said partitioned coolant carrying elements.

2. A radiator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet are disposed in the same radi- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Inventor(s) Willi Frank and Gustav Engler It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Add the following claim, which was allowed but omitted in the Letters Patent document;

5. A radiator as claimed in claim 1 comprising four quadrant radiator blocks and an intermediate receiving vessel between adjacent said blocks.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of February 1973..

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.PLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 O365334 

1. An annular radiator, particularly for the coolant circuit in internal combustion engines, comprising coolant carrying elements defining circular annular flow passages, cooling ribs constructed and disposed in the manner of a diffuser, said cooling ribs being radially arranged in axial planes between adjacent said coolant carrying elements and being subdivided in the radial direction into groups, said coolant carrying elements being partitioned and disposed to alternate in the axial direction with said cooling rib groups, centrally disposed air intake means in communication with said cooling rib groups, whereby the air enters centrally and leaves the radiator radially, continuous axially extending gaps being provided between individual said cooling rib groups, and said gaps being disposed in the region of spacers of said partitioned coolant carrying elements.
 2. A radiator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet are disposed in the same radial plane and preferably in the same horizontal plane.
 3. A radiator as claimed in claim 2, wherein from a receiving vessel compartment associated with the water inlet at least one distributor pipe leads to a diametrically disposed collecting vessel into which the passages of the partitioned coolant carrying elements lead.
 4. A radiator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coolant carrying elements lead into intermediate collecting vessels. 